Soccer at its Glory

The vuvuzuelas sound off. The stands and stadium in South Africa are engulfed with their bee-like mmmmmmmmmmmmm. They are so loud that the FIFA Committee had to buffer them so the players can hear the whistle during a match.

All this is just during a regular World Cup game that you see on tv. When the Chilean national team is on, the intensity escalates many notches. The streets are taken over by enlightened fans waving their flags and shouting, "Chi Chi Chi Le Le Le, Viva Chile!" You also hear the sound of horns and vuvuzuelas invading the city streets.

When the game begins, the streets turn quiet. You can walk outside and it'll be just like a ghost town. It is quite similar to when Duke plays in the NCAA tournament. Everyone is next to a television set because they do not want to miss a single second of the game. It is actually quite funny because yesterday we watched the Chilean 1-0 victory over the surprise of the tournament Switzerland in downtown Santiago. The funny part is that you would hear people yelling after close plays at different times because they would get the telecast at different times. Eduardo actually heard the Chilean goal outside before we even saw it on it.

Watching the World Cup in a soccer-crazed country is special for me because you get a passion for the sport that I grew up playing that you do not get to experience in the United States. This World Cup is especial for Chile because they are in it for the first time since France '98 and they are a legitimate contender to go deep into the World Cup.

I root for Chile to join the rest of country during their time of celebration. The Chilean team is exciting to watch as well. They have a style of play which is everyone attacks and everyone defends and that has been the direct cause of their two victories with no goals allowed. However, whenever the Mexican national team is on, I'm a nervous wreck. I can't sit down and be calm, and I'm jittery throughout the whole match. The Mexican team has a chance to do something special too with their team full of many young, speedy stars and their experienced veterans.

It has been a great World Cup experience and I'm glad that I'm in Chile to watch it.

Stay tuned for more soccer info...